Motor-vehicle.



No. 684,793/ Patented Oct. 22, NHL

- F. S. CULES.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

[Application filed Jan. 2, 1901.

(No Model.)

- 2 WITNESSES: INVENTOR. v

MT STATES PAENT rt,

FREDERICK SANDEROOMB COLES, OF BALHAM, ENGLAND.

MOTO R-VEHIC LE.

SPECIFIGATIQN formingpart of Letters Patent No. 684,793, dated October22, 1901.

Application filed January 2, 1901.- Serial No. 41,768. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK SANDER- COMB OoLEs, a subject of the Queenof Great Britain, residing at Balham, in the county of Surrey, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a full and complete specification, such as willenable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to motor-vehicles, and particularly to theunderframe or running-gear thereof; and the object of the invention isto reduce the strain on the said underframe or running-gear of vehiclesof this class by allowing the wheels to freely follow any unevenness ofthe roads over which the vehicle may pass, thereby producing lessvibration and strain and doing away to a large extent with the danger ofoverturning the vehicle, a further object being to reduce the vibrationof the top frame or body of the vehicle, also to reduce the friction andconsequent Wear of the motor-gearing-and other parts; and with this andother objects in view the invention consists in the construction,combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate partsof my improvement are designated by the same reference characters ineach of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of theunder-frame or running-gear of a motor-vehicle constructed according tomy invention; Fig. 2, an elevation of one of the axles and showing theparts connected therewith; Fig. 8, an elevation of a pivot-bar formingpart of the underframe or running-gear, and Fig. 4 an elevation ofanother pivot-bar forming part of said underframe or running-gear.

My improved underframe or running-gear for motor-vehicles is composed oftwo parts 0 and O. The part 0 consists of side bars C connected at oneend with one of the axles C and at the opposite end by a pivot-bar B, awhile the other part 0' consists of side bars 0 connected at one endwith the other axle E and at the opposite end by another pivotbar A. Thepivot-bar A is provided centrally \Vllll a pivot-bearing H, containing apivot-pin H which works in a boss I, formed on the bar B, which forms apart of the frame 0, and the pivot-pin H is provided with a key-pin Hwhich prevents any end movement between the parts H and I, or, in otherwords, prevents the separation of these parts; but a nut or any othersuitable device may be substituted for the key-pin 1-1 At each end ofthe bar B is a cross-head B in which is formed a segmental slot L, whichranges vertically with reference to the underframe or running-gear, andthe bar A is provided at each end with a corresponding cross-head A,each of which is provided with a pin K, and the pins K pass through theslots L in the cross-heads B and may be secured by means ofa key-pin ornut or in any desired manner. The pins K may consist of bolts or may beformed integrally with the cross-heads A or any suitable constructionmaybe substituted, the object being to permit the cross-heads B and A toslide freely one upon the other. By means of this construction it willbe seen that the separate parts 0 and O of the underframe orrunning-gear are free to turn about the center pivot, while being at thesame time firmly connected, thus providing means whereby the axles andwheels of the underframe or running-gear are at liberty to accommodatethemselves to any unevenness or irregularity in the surface of the roadover which the vehicle may pass.

A spring G is attached to the axle E, centrally thereof, by means of ayoke-shaped clip G and a bolt or pin F, and the ends of the spring G areconnected to links G which are suspended therefrom and with which inpractice the upper part or body of the vehicle is connected by means ofbars or pins or other suitable devices passing through holes N in saidlinks, said bars, pins, or other devices not being shown, and the otherends of the links G are connected with supplemental springs G and Gwhich springs are secured at M and M to axle E.

It will be understood that although I have described and illustrated themethod of construction which I consider preferable I may vary thedetails of this construction without departing from the spirit of myinvention or sacrificing its advantages. For example, one

portion of the nnderframe or running-gear might merely consist of one ofthe axles into which the frame and axle constituting the other portionwould be directly pivoted, or the central pivoted and slotted plates onthe bars A and 13 might consist of registered plates to allow of aturning movement with or without bolts or their equivalent devices, butsecured so as to prevent end or lateral movement, and the centralpivot-plates may or may not have a hole through their centers where thepivot-pin H is shown in the drawings, and I do not limit myself to theuse of this underframe for two pairs of wheels only, as herein shown,but may use it in connection with vehicles requiring any number ofwheels in their construction.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a motor-vehicle, an underframe or running-gear, consisting of twoparts connected so as to allow the axles to turn in a vertical planeindependently of each other,

one of said axles being provided with a central spring pivotallyconnected therewith, and adapted to support the body of the vehicle fromthe ends thereof and reinforcing-springs connected with the axle andwith the ends of said first named spring, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. A vehicle, one of the axles of which is provided with a centralspring pivotally connected therewith and the ends of which extendupwardly and are adapted to support the body of a vehicle, andreinforcing-springs connected with the axle and with the ends of saidfirst named spring, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 19th day ofDecember, 1900.

FREDERICK SANDERCOM 1% COLES.

' \Vitncsses:

HERBERT SAnDnRooMB CoLEs, CHARLOTTE HELEN CoLEs.

